Company Announcement - Atlas Copco customers enjoyed an adrenalin-filled day of fun and excitement as the Atlas Copco off-road racing BAT of Sarel van Biljon and Philip Herselman (GM of Construction Technique) demonstrated its racing prowess over 324km of extremely rough and rocky terrain during the Atlas Copco 450 Gold at Kloof Country Club in Glenharvie, Westonaria, on 31st October 2015.

Sarel and Philip started in pole position, having taken top honours as first overall in the Special Vehicle category 103km qualifying race held the previous day. In the main race they pulled an impressive lead of more than five minutes over the second special vehicle competitor, 2015 champions Evan Hutchinson and Danie Stassen, by the halfway point. Unfortunately a broken suspension mount 58km before the finish prevented this formidable team from repeating their winning performance of 2014 when they won the event outright in Class A.

Hosting this final round of the South African off road motor racing championships, Atlas Copco business areas, Construction Technique, Compressor Technique and Industrial Technique, demonstrated their solid philosophy and intense commitment to supporting customers no matter how tough the going. “Our objective is to provide our customers with the opportunity to enjoy a day at the races and network and exchange ideas with like-minded people in an informal environment,” explained Philip.

Atlas Copco’s success in achieving this was confirmed by feedback received from customers like Filippo Bevilacqua, Managing Member of equipment hire company, Riviera Hire cc., who said that the real enjoyment for him was “being able to interact in an informal environment and mingle with Atlas Copco and other customers, share experiences and obtain feedback.”

Filippo added that his short 12 month association with Atlas Copco has already proved beneficial. “Atlas Copco lives up to the ideals of sustainable productivity which meshes well with our core values. It is assuring to know that well established brands like Atlas Copco are working diligently to adapt their offerings to be able to offer cost effective productive solutions which is in line with what is really important namely, the return on investment over the long term.”

Also attending the race day were long-standing Atlas Copco customers Raubex Building and G4 Civils. Louis Bornman, buyer at Raubex Building, complimented Atlas Copco on their product quality and service excellence. “Their product quality is of the best in the country and they are always willing to go out of their way when it comes to deliveries, servicing and spare parts.” Equally complimentary of Atlas Copco’s product and service quality, Johan van der Merwe, Plant Manager at G4 Civils and a motor car racer himself, said that “Atlas Copco is always willing to go out of their way to assist. Atlas Copco is about top quality, product knowledge and support.” Pointing to the many analogies between off-road racing and the customer–supplier partnership, Philip says that the ups and downs of any racing season mirror the economic environment. “Moreover, it is a team event where both driver and navigator share a pivotal partnership and good teamwork and clear, open communication determines success. As a customer-focused company, it is important for us to remain committed to meeting our customers’ requirements and provide the best solution for their sustainable productivity. To achieve this, we need to listen to our customers, and much like we know our cars, we must know the customer’s application and our products - how they perform and what they can deliver.”

“We continue the race in 2016 by investing in resources to ensure innovative technology to be able to continue supplying robustness, reliability, powerful performance and efficiency backed by full after-market support – service, maintenance, parts and spares,” affirms Philip. “2015 has taught us a lot and we have emerged stronger. We are identifying all the areas where we can improve and be even better. Our customers know and respect our brand and our service so we remain steadfast in our ongoing commitment to be a solid business partner whom our customers can continue to rely on. We are there for our customers for the long run – we go the distance.”

With so many Atlas Copco customers enjoying the off-road action, the Atlas Copco 450 was an overwhelming success as fittingly summed up by Louis and Johan: “The best part of the day was the cars, of course!”